Latest market data

Stock search

Franchise Players is Entrepreneur’s Q&A interview column
that puts the spotlight on franchisees. If you're a franchisee
with advice and tips to share, email ktaylor@entrepreneur.com.

Most people graduate college with a diploma. Aneesh Patel
graduated not only with a degree, but also five Subway locations
in Tampa, Fla. Starting young has paid off for Patel, who now
owns six Marco's Pizza locations in Southern Florida. His goal is
to work with this brother to establish 40 locations by 2020.
Here's how he plans to make it happen.

My family has been in the franchising industry for the past 20
years. I grew up watching my father establish several hospitality
and restaurant franchises, and knew I wanted to follow in his
footsteps. I was attracted to the franchising industry because of
the consistency and support systems provided by the franchisor.

I’ve been involved in the franchising industry since my teenage
years when I started working with my father at Days Inn and
Wyndham Hotels. I was given more leadership roles throughout high
school after learning firsthand how to manage and operate a
franchise. I went on to study finance at Florida State University
and acquired my first Subway franchise as a sophomore in 2006.
Upon graduation, I had acquired four additional Subway locations
throughout Southern Florida. I started looking into different
restaurant concepts and came across an opportunity to join
Marco’s Pizza franchise in 2010.

Why did you choose this particular franchise?

Marco’s Pizza was a newer franchise with a lot more opportunity
for growth than most and the product was great. When I became
involved with Subway, I knew it was one of the best sandwich
franchises at the time because of the freshness of the product.
Likewise, I believed Marco’s could be the best pizza franchise
because of the brand’s dedication to excellence. I had yet to
come across a pizza franchise that prides itself on authentic
Italian artisan pizza, made with fresh, real ingredients and
dough made in the store daily.

Coming from a restaurant and hospitality background where I had
to follow strict guidelines, I understood the importance of
consistency in operations. At Marco’s Pizza, there's consistency
across the board, which is one of the factors that make our
operations so superior. It makes a big difference with customers
and translates into success for the franchisees. I was also
impressed by the high level of support provided by the franchisor
along with the fact that everyone at the corporate office was
more than willing to help me succeed. I quickly realized that
Marco’s Pizza was a chain to grow with that would offer the
potential for long-term sustainable income.

How much would you estimate you spent before you
were officially open for business?

I met with several Marco’s Pizza franchisees to find out more
about their experience and success with the company. I met with
both new and established owners, who owned both single and
multi-unit territories, to gain an accurate understanding of the
brand and franchise system. I also turned to my father for
advice.

I didn’t experience many unexpected challenges when opening
my first franchise because I was fortunate enough to have
experience with different franchise concepts in similar
industries. Working under my father taught me the basics of
managing and operating a franchise with strict operations. With
with Marco’s Pizza, the operations are simplified which made
things easier.

An unexpected challenge for many new franchise owners can be
learning how to manage employees. It can be overwhelming to
manage a team of employees while trying to grow the business,
gain loyal customers and keep track of finances. If the
franchisor doesn’t provide grand opening support, it can be
helpful to seek out a mentor to provide guidance and assistance
during the first several weeks.

What advice do you have for individuals who want to
own their own franchise?

Research the brand and contact established franchisees to
find out if they have are happy with the franchisor and the type
of support the corporate office offers. As a franchisee, you want
to have a positive relationship with your franchisor. In regards
to the financial side, invest in a franchise that is constantly
working on ways to make the business more profitable for everyone
involved.

Choose a brand that you are interested in and have enthusiasm
for. To be happy and successful, you must believe in the product
and services the company provides. For example, Marco’s Pizza
trains franchisees in every aspect of making high quality pizza
and running a successful franchise, but they can’t teach us
passion. Lastly, follow the system -- there are strict guidelines
for a reason.

What’s next for you and your business?

My brother Ritesh and I are targeting Miami and Fort Lauderdale
for expansion and hope to reach our goal of establishing 40
Marco’s Pizza locations throughout Miami and Fort Lauderdale by
2020. We plan to add three new locations this year through
strategic franchise partnerships and are currently recruiting
qualified franchise owners to open up to 20 additional locations
over the next two years. We haven't even been in the area for
four years and we're already breaking ground on our seventh
store. We look forward to growing with the brand and spreading
the great Marco’s Pizza taste throughout the entire region.